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2d ago

Alaa Abd El-Fattah Apologizes for Past Tweets as Ministers Face Calls to Strip His UK Citizenship

Downing Street says case law offers no straightforward route to remove his nationality.

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Alaa Abdel Fattah only got back to the UK a few days ago after years detention in Egypt
Alaa Abd El-Fattah was reunited with his family in Cairo after being released from an Egyptian prison in September.
Prominent British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who was released from prison after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a presidential pardon for him, gestures as family and friends gather at home in Giza, Egypt, September 23, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Overview

  • The British-Egyptian activist issued an "unequivocal" apology, saying some posts were misread but acknowledging others were "shocking and hurtful."
  • Posts from 2008–2014 reported to endorse violence against Zionists and police resurfaced days after he returned to the UK following an Egyptian pardon.
  • Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, shadow home secretary Chris Philp and Reform UK's Nigel Farage urged revocation of his citizenship and deportation.
  • No 10 condemned the tweets as "abhorrent" yet defended returning a British citizen detained abroad, with the Foreign Office reviewing the handling of the case.
  • Officials indicate deprivation powers are generally limited to fraud or the most serious threats, and Starmer was not briefed on the posts when he welcomed his arrival.